by Tom Pelissero, USA TODAY Sports

by Tom Pelissero, USA TODAY Sports

RENTON, Wash. â?? Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson first watched the film of Super Bowl XLVIII the next day, before his flight home from New York. He estimates he has seen it 15 times now, even reviewing the TV copy so he could check out the commercials.

And when Wilson stepped into the huddle Friday for the Seahawks' first training camp practice, kicking off the title defense in earnest, he provided a simple reminder to teammates of what it will take to relive the moment for real Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.

"I said, 'Time for a championship season. Every play's a championship play,'" Wilson told USA TODAY Sports. "That's where we've got to focus all the time. That's the way we've got to talk. That's got to be our lingo with one another."

The past 5Â½ months have given the Seahawks numerous reminders of their 43-8 title rout over the Denver Broncos: a parade through fan-packed downtown Seattle, a visit to the White House, a ceremony to present their diamond-studded Super Bowl rings.

The sign at the entrance to Seahawks Way near the team's facility announces the championship, too. But the atmosphere at Friday's practice was virtually identical to one year ago, when the Seahawks were still aspiring to the pinnacle they've since reached.

"We're not going to change," coach Pete Carroll told USA TODAY Sports. "We're not going to shift gears here and try to respond differently or do anything out of the norm. We're getting good at what we do, so we want to take it to this opportunity again and believe in who we are and what we are and see if we can create a really good football team."

Carroll said he even didn't mention "that Super Bowl thing" in the first team meeting Thursday. He'd already addressed how players should handle the unusual offseason back in the spring and wanted to make sure everyone was looking forward, not back.

"We have a target on our back now, I guess it is," Wilson said. "But I think our mentality, our focus, is it's a brand-new year. And we're trying to do better than we did last year."

What's scary for the rest of the NFL is the champs really could be better.

Aside from Marshawn Lynch's holdout, the Seahawks appear drama-free. Top receiver Percy Harvin is finally healthy. Arguably their four top difference-markers â?? Wilson, Harvin, cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas â?? are age 26 or under. No starter on offense or defense has turned 30.

It's a roster with an ascending core that's trying to pull off the first title repeat since the New England Patriots a decade ago.

"We feel hunted, but we're taking each game as our championship game," Harvin said. "I think that's what's so unique of being around this place."

Is there danger in becoming complacent and assuming that doing the same things the Seahawks did a year ago will be good enough again?

"Probably the hard part for people to understand is we have not aspired to be the Super Bowl champion," Carroll said. "We're just trying to be as good as we can be. That doesn't change. The accomplishment doesn't necessarily have to affect us the way you might think. Everybody's understood that.

"This is the best challenge you can have. The best challenge is when you've done something and then you've got to come back and do it and prove that you're worthy."

The path to that proof leads to University of Phoenix Stadium â?? although it's tough to imagine the Seahawks have many doubters right now anyway.

"I don't pay attention enough to know. I know we don't doubt ourselves," Wilson said. "At the end of the day, you have to ignore the noise, either good, bad or indifferent. That's what we're able to do as a team â?? we're able to ignore the noise and be in it every day."